Silver Wolf: betrayal and treason
by ShiiroiKitsune21
Summary: The Sandaime took Minato's place in the Kyuubi's sealing, thus the Yondaime kept ruling Konoha. But the darkness kept lurking underneath the village and Kakashi is unfairly accused of five murders… Can the Hokage bring justice when his betrayed student abandons Konoha? Nukenin!Kakashi and Alive!Minato with Evil!Danzo. Rating may change, who knows? HIATUS FOR NOW.
1. Chapter 1

**HAPPY EARLY NEW YEAR! :D **

**I decided to write this. There aren't many explanations. Some ideas pop inside my head and I have to keep track of them. **

**Their reactions may be too OOC, but I needed something. Enjoy and review!**

**Don't own Naruto. I don't even look like Kishimoto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: Betrayal<strong>

Minato Namikaze bit his lip. It couldn't be. It just… _couldn't_. But all the evidences pointed to the only person he never thought would do something like this.

His last living student, Hatake Kakashi.

The ANBUs he assigned to investigate found strands of silver hair on the ground next to three corpses. The other two had some lingering chakra that could be only Kakashi's. They were three jonins, a chuunin and a retired shinobi and the only things they had in common was their hate for the Hatake. The five ninjas still thought that the Third Shinobi War continued because of Sakumo and, when Kakashi was younger, they scorned the little chuunin.

Was it possible that Kakashi (now ANBU captain with a flawless record) planned their deaths after all these years?

But he remembered what happened to Hiruzen when the old man held tightly on the hope that Orochimaru could be changed. Minato remembered the Sandaime's horrified expression when the Snake Sannin was caught experimenting on little kids. And how much he suffered when Orochimaru was declared a nukenin.

_'__But Kakashi isn't Orochimaru' _a part of Minato's brain pointed out. Could the Yondaime hope that his student would change for the better?

"Minato, you look terrible" Jiraya stated when he entered the Hokage's office in the evening "what happened?" The Toad Sage just returned from an extended spying mission and he didn't expect to see his student look like someone died.

(Well, Hiruzen and Kushina did. The Kyuubi's attack was six months ago and Minato was still mourning while taking care of his newborn son)

The blonde took a deep breath "This evening, the ANBU found Kakashi guilty of five murders. All the clues are plausible and the reason would be revenge. They scorned him because of Sakumo, so he took their lives". Jiraya had every reason to exclaim "WHAT?"

It was impossible that someone could keep grudges for ten years! But when Kakashi had ever been normal? The prodigy could do almost anything for all they knew. And they were some of the people who knew him better…

Minato looked up worriedly "What should I do, sensei? Do you think… Kakashi really did it?"

* * *

><p>Kakashi was strolling towards his apartment when he saw his sensei heading towards him. "Hello, Min-" the words never left his lips. Minato grabbed him and disappeared in a blur of colour.<p>

* * *

><p>The sixteen-years-old stumbled a bit (who would suspect a random teleport?) in the Hokage's office before someone caught his arms and hit behind his right knee, making him fall. Kakashi's wrists were tightly grasped and held behind him.<p>

He glanced up at Minato "Sensei! What are you doing?" he frantically asked. What was this all about?! The blonde looked too somber for Kakashi's liking. "Did you kill these five shinobis?" the Hokage questioned, tossing five photos in front of his student.

"I didn't, Minato-sensei. Why do you ask me?" the Hatake was getting really worried now. He didn't even see these people since he was eight! "Would you have killed them if you could?" the blonde asked again. "I don't kill comrades, even if they deserve to" he answered truthfully. Why was Minato questioning him? The Hokage frowned and looked over Kakashi. He shook his head.

The grip on the Hatake's wrists tightened and he was suddenly pulled upright, his arms still behind his back. Kakashi caught a glimpse of his 'captor'. "Jiraya-sama!" he exclaimed "What's going on?!" The Toad Sage looked like one would at a funeral and remained silent.

"I won't do the Sandaime's mistake" Minato whispered, taking out one of his Hiraishin kunai. Kakashi's eye widened. _They were trying to kill him_! Sensei believed he would be like _Orochimaru_! "_Sensei_! Sensei, I'm not Orochimaru!" he desperately screamed "Believe me! Why would you suspect _that_? I didn't kill those five people! Sensei! Please!"

Meanwhile, Minato was solemnly walking towards Kakashi, kunai still in his hand. He looked at the Hatake's wide onyx eye: it held more emotions and pleads than the silver-haired boy would admit. _Let me go. I didn't do anything. _It continued to plead. Minato winced: he was now sure that this eye was going to plague his nightmares. Still, he couldn't put his love over his duty.

He felt extremely guilty when he noticed that Kakashi was trembling slightly. Slowly, the blonde lowered his student's hitai-ate in a way that it would cover both his eyes. He placed the kunai on the Hatake's neck and was about to slice…

…when he was hit in the abdomen by Kakashi's kick. He had moved his weight towards Jiraya and hit hard in his desperation to break free. He slipped from the Sage's grip with a burst of electricity and shunshined out of the office.

Minato was too shocked to run after him.

* * *

><p><em>Betrayal, betrayal, betrayal… <em>it was Kakashi's only thought as he ran towards his apartment. He moved his hitai-ate on his forhead, exposing both eyes. He noticed he was crying and his sight was blurry. He couldn't believe what happened: why did his _sensei _try to kill him?! He was like a _father_ to him, he took care of him, he fussed every time he got injured…

Tears were flowing freely from his mismatched eyes. '_If I don't have a place in Konoha…' _he packed quickly whatever he would need (supplies and weapons) and everything he could take with him: he took Jiraya's books and almost picked up Minato's Hiraishin kunai before remembering his function and abandoned it on the bed.

He quickly left Konoha's gates, his heart throbbing painfully because of his sensei's betrayal…

* * *

><p>"He ran! He ran!" Minato frantically exclaimed while running in circles inside his office. What possessed him to try to kill his student? Jiraya had burn marks on his hands and was watching helplessly the young blonde. He was so worried that Minato would feel the same pain as Hiruzen that he didn't think Kakashi would escape like that.<p>

All the clues pointed Kakashi as the killer of those five shinobi. And how could someone place fake evidence without anyone noticing? It was impossible with all the ANBUs involved in the investigation. Plus, the Hatake had a reason to do that: all they had on his defense was "he isn't the type who kills for revenge".

Minato ordered too late for the ANBUs to stop the silver-haired captain and they only found dead ends. The night couldn't end worse for the blonde Hokage.

* * *

><p><em>The next morning<em>

Kakashi's closest comrades were all in front of Minato. Which were Gai (who was crying desperately), Asuma, Kurenai (who were stunned), Genma, Raido, Yugao (who were even more shocked that their captain, of all people, abandoned Konoha) and Kitsune the ANBU Commander (who mourned his best ANBU's defection).

All of them kept screaming that Kakashi wouldn't do that, he was their teammate, their friend, their captain and 'hip and cool' eternal rival… Minato had a hard time controlling himself from doing the same and listening to their screaming. After they finished, the Yondaime spoke at the ANBU Commander: "Did your ANBU found anything during the night?" Kitsune shook his head.

"Wolf-taicho is the best tracker that ever stepped in the ANBU Headquarters" Genma whispered "he won't be found if he doesn't want to" the day before he would have said it with pride, now he was frustrated about his captain's ability to cover his tracks.

"LET ME SEARCH MY ETERNAL RIVAL, HOKAGE-SAMA!" Gai cried out "I'LL FIND HIM AND HE'LL RETURN…!" "He won't." a cold voice resounded from behind the shinobis.

Danzo stood in all his evilness at the door "Hatake Kakashi killed five Konoha ninjas (that alone is punishable by death) and defected from the village. He will be declared a nukenin". Everyone in the room was looking at Danzo with different degrees of hate, but they couldn't deny what he said. Minato lowered his head. All the people who knew Kakashi only as 'Sakumo's son' and 'ANBU' kept repeating the same things. They saw only a shinobi who defected.

Not the hard work he did to leave his father's shadow.

Not the boy who changed through the war.

Not the captain he grew up to be.

Not the socially stunted but extremely loyal friend he was.

Jiraya told him that Sakumo's feelings are similar to Kakashi's: their way to deal with grief and guilt, their façade, their unwavering loyalty… the Toad Sage said that the latter could lead to disastrous decisions if it was denied and the two Hatakes were betrayed.

Sakumo committed suicide because the village he spent his life protecting scorned him. Kakashi abandoned Konoha because Minato and Jiraya betrayed his trust.

* * *

><p>Danzo smirked to himself. He finally kicked out that troublesome Hatake! His ROOT shinobis managed to drop some fake clues on the corpses and Kakashi was found guilty. His neural poison did its work perfectly: Minato and whoever entered the office became more paranoid for the time being. The Yondaime almost killed the Hatake (Danzo wasn't even concerned that the brat was still alive!), the ANBU captain left Konoha and wouldn't be returning anymore (or for a really long time – he could still lose his mind).<p>

Danzo felt like laughing evilly. Soon the Godaime's position would be all _his_.

* * *

><p>Kakashi kept running south until he couldn't move and his legs were numb.<p>

It was morning and he found himself in a clearing inside the woods. Every time he thought about his impromptu defection he felt his heart sunk: he has been betrayed. _Betrayed_ by the people he trusted the most. He was basically alone now.

No. He still had his loyal pack of ninken. He nodded to himself and summoned his dogs.

"Yo, Kakashi. What's up?" Pakkun asked when the smoke cleared. The eight ninken looked around and noted the (mostly sealed) supplies on the ground near them. "Really, why are you here with all this stuff?" "Sensei tried to kill me" he whispered.

The pack was still. Did they hear that right? Kakashi's sensei attempted to _kill him_? That ever-cheerful blonde _Namikaze Minato_? _He?!_

"…Boss, are you sure?" normally, Pakkun wouldn't question the pack leader, but this was just too farfetched and unlikely. Kakashi numbly nodded and sat on the grass.

Bull whined and licked his masked face. The other dogs looked at each other worriedly and settled protectively around their pack leader. Pakkun sat on his lap and the Hatake started patting his head.

They would always be there for him. _Always._

* * *

><p><em>Rank: A<em>

_Village: Konohagakure no Sato. _

_Name: Hatake Kakashi_

_Kekkai Genkai: Sharingan _

_Specializations: Assassination and Tracking_

_Skills: advanced Ninjutsu, above average Genjutsu and Taijutsu_

_Status: _

The jonin paused. He read again. What the hell? He tried to dispel a genjutsu. No, he read that right. He continued typing the page for the Bingo Book.

_Status: Nukenin_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I just wanted to write this. Duh.**

**Maybe Kakashi's reaction and Minato's decision is a bit OOC, but I needed something to make poor Kakashi defect. **

**And yes, I made Orochimaru's betrayal before the Kyuubi's attack. But Danzo still has Tenzo. This is an AU World where Kakashi will try to survive as a nukenin. And this time Naruto is alive! Weeee!**

**Write me if you want more of these adventures… **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	2. Chapter 2

**Your youthful praises warm my heart! *hugs everyone who reviewed***

**Thanks to Yangsun, Prescripto13, Vienna09 and Guest for their reviews! You can't imagine how happy your praises make me feel! :3 **

**This is the starting chapter for Kakashi's nukenin adventures! YAY! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: New life<strong>

Kakashi admitted he had no idea about what he should do now. If he returned to Konoha, the shinobis might try to kill him on sight, so it wasn't an option. But here, outside, he didn't have a _home_. _Comrades_ to fight with. _Missions. _When he sprinted through Konoha's gates he pretty much denied himself all that.

But it didn't mean he would seek revenge against the whole village. Now that he could think more clearly, Kakashi decided his objective: discover what drove Minato-sensei to attempt to kill him. Whoever caused this, he would make sure he suffered the most agonizing pain he ever had the displeasure to feel. Multiple times. (Somewhere in Hell, a devil laughed gleefully)

For now, though, Kakashi decided to wander and discover what he could do.

* * *

><p>Genma was not happy.<p>

Danzo already published the new Konoha's Bingo Book. He marked Kakashi (their _Wolf-taicho_, dammit!) as an A-ranked nukenin. Team Ro was now targeted with questions about what they knew from all the ANBU squads inside the Head Quarters.

Some ANBUs even waited for them on their homes' doors! It was driving Genma insane! Sometimes he even heard some venomous whispers about Kakashi and how he betrayed them (how dared they? Wolf-taicho fought head-on _Death_ every day, for them!).

And Danzo seemed a little too gleeful for someone whose village lost a powerful shinobi. It was all pretty suspicious, but Genma couldn't say "he's guilty because he's an asshole who wouldn't stop at anything to order everyone around and I have a strange feeling". But standing there while all the others scorned Kakashi was almost impossible for Genma. He couldn't even snap at them to shut their mouths!

* * *

><p>Shark of Kiri's Hounin Unit paused. He looked sharply at Seagull and asked with all the calm he could master "Are you <em>sure<em> this information is true?"

Seagull seemed to shrink a little when she answered "I-I am. It looks that Konoha's Bingo Book has been updated recently…" Shark accepted the response and kept studying the book. Who could have known the _Hatake_ would abandon Konoha?

Well, Shark wasn't about to let _anyone_ take the bounty placed on the new-nukenin's head.

"I'm requesting the Mizukage the permission to hunt him down" the Hounin muttered, heading towards his Kage's office.

* * *

><p>Kakashi arrived in a civilian village on the southern coast of Hi no Kuni. He decided to stop there and start his self-imposed mission of discovering what nukenins usually do.<p>

The Hatake tried to remember the times he joined the Hounin squads and tracked down some missing-nins: they often were roaming in the woods near civilian villages when the ANBU attacked. There was a time when Kakashi killed a nukenin while someone was requesting his services…

He tilted his head. He probably had to go someplace where they would ask for his help, then. Like accepting and completing missions, only that his 'client' wasn't the Hokage. Kakashi felt a pang of pain: his sensei's betrayal was still too fresh in his mind and his heart throbbed at the thought.

The newly-declared nukenin ordered lunch in a little restaurant inside the village. He noted that he still wore the ANBU-esque attire he usually used while off-duty. He stuck out like a sore thumb, expecially with his gravity-defying silver hair. He sighed: so much for not attracting the Hounins.

While he ate, though, he heard some civilians whisper between them and Kakashi decided to eavesdrop.

"Suzumi's kid disappeared, too?" a man asked worriedly. "Nobody knows who is kidnapping our children… everything we do is useless!" a clearly terrified woman whispered "But we can't afford to ask a Hidden Village for help… and the kids continue to disappear!" she broke down crying.

"He's the fourth one they (or whoever is behind this) took away…" the man's voice trembled a little "how can we keep safe our sons and daughters if we can't stop _this_ from happening?"

…Kakashi decided to help this little village. He doubted they would trust a sixteen-years-old masked Konoha shinobi, but if he wanted to be requested for missions as a nukenin… he needed to made himself known to his potential 'clients'. Maybe someone could give him directions and advices, who knew?

* * *

><p>Kakashi underestimated the villagers' desperation. When he offered his help, they immediately told him all the information they found about this 'mysterious child-kidnapper threat' and led him to the four 'crime scenes' where their kids were taken.<p>

The abductions started out of the blue about two months ago with a five-years-old girl. She basically disappeared from her futon and no one had a clue about the kidnapper's identity. A week and a half later, a little boy was taken away as well; this time, a bystander swore he saw a strange shadow on the house's roof (most of the village said he was a crazy old man, but why dismiss his claim?).

At the beginning of the following month, another four-years-old girl was abducted; her three siblings didn't hear or see anything, even if they were in the same room. The last kidnapping happened two nights ago: the little kid was eight years old and he evidently tried to struggle, if the mess inside his room was any clue.

Kakashi analyzed the bedroom: it was small but comfortable, with a futon, a chair, a little table and a chest with some toys. The walls were bare and the window seemed undisturbed. On the wooden floor there weren't any imprints, but the chair was broken and the blanket was on the opposite wall of the futon, like it was thrown away. Kakashi smelled two strong scents (probably the kid's and the mother's) and another definitely fainter one. He summoned Pakkun (much to the villagers' disbelief) and the ninken sniffed the floor.

He moved around the room and sniffed the window before nodding and announcing that a man entered through the window, took the kid and left, while Kakashi sensed the lingering chakra of a chuunin-level shinobi (that really shouldn't be there because all the villagers were civilians).

The trail was weak, but it was pretty simple for ninjas like Kakashi (and ninken like Pakkun) who worked in the tracking division for two years. The mysterious kidnapper obviously didn't bother too much to cover his tracks: who could have known Konoha's best tracker would be involved?

* * *

><p>Kakashi arrived in front of a cave. A <em>very<em> _poorly hidden_ cave, in his opinion.

He felt four unknown chakra signatures (three definitely shinobi's and one was fainter) and decided to sneak inside after dismissing Pakkun. Caves weren't his favourite places: they still reminded Kakashi of Obito's death and the Sharingan throbbed every time he had to infiltrate in one.

Kakashi blended in the cave's shadows and suppressed his chakra to spy on the three shinobis.

"Are you sure?" a black-haired man asked.

"Yeah. I heard that a really skilled ninja has gone rouge recently. From Konoha, I think" a woman answered.

"Well, let's hope he or she doesn't interfere with our plans" a brown-haired man stated.

Kakashi stilled and focused his hearing.

"Still, what does He do with the kids we take?" the woman spoke up.

The first man shrugged "He pays us. Whatever He does with them isn't our business".

"That asshole doesn't even show his face, do you think He'll tell us?" the other man snorted. So it seemed that Kakashi couldn't find this unknown client. The other three kids were most probably dead.

The woman huffed and answered "I'm curious, that's all. And I think it's weird the villagers didn't call anyone to help them after two months".

There was a muffled whimper in a corner of the cave. The woman smiled creepily and attempted to talk sweetly: "Our little bundle of sunshine is restless again? Poor little thing… he must miss his mama".

The eight-years-old boy whimpered again and cried.

Kakashi heard enough and decided to take them out. The new nukenin silently took a kunai and knocked unconscious the woman (who was near the boy) and one of the men before the other assumed a battle stance. The black-haired shinobi was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Y-you…!" his words seemed to die in his throat. He clearly recognized Kakashi and was almost shaking in fright. The ex-ANBU grinned creepily and walked toward the panicking man (and he considered himself a chuunin-level ninja?).

"So you handed poor little kids to evil psychopaths because you needed money?" he asked oh-so-sweetly. The man numbly nodded and shook more when Kakashi's Killing Intent spiked. "_You're a sorry excuse of a shinobi_" the Hatake growled and, with lightning speed, he knocked out cold the black-haired man.

He created a Kage Bunshin to tie the three ninjas and he neared the little boy. He seemed to shrink and try to scream in distress, so Kakashi smiled and whispered soothing nothingness to calm the kid. The ex-ANBU kept repeating that all would be OK, the bad guys wouldn't return anymore, he was safe and his mum was waiting for him in the village; after a while, it seemed to work.

Kakashi untied the boy and helped him climb on his back, tree-hopping towards the town (much to the kid's amazement).

* * *

><p>The civilians cheered loudly when Kakashi returned with the child and the three ninjas. He dropped the culprits to suffer the villagers' anger (as they deserved after abducting little kids and giving them to an unknown man). He already saw their hitai-ate that labeled them as Iwa-nins; none were in his Bingo Book, so he thought they were low-ranked or something.<p>

Suzumi was crying in happiness and thanked him more times than it was necessary. Really, it was a pretty simple mission compared to others he took… plus, the woman was making him feel uncomfortable with all her gratitude. As an ANBU, he never received a lot of thanks for completing his tasks, and most of the times they were from his own comrades when he saved them.

He saw some villagers speaking animatedly to themselves about him, and Kakashi smiled.

It wasn't so bad helping people.

* * *

><p><em>Some days later<em>

When Genma walked inside Yukuda town, he didn't expect to be welcomed so warmly. Maybe it was his charm or his luck, who knew?

All the people inside the town looked at his hitai-ate and then smiled widely at him. But he was pretty sure that no one from Konoha stepped inside Yukuda, and expecially not shinobis with the leaf hitai-ate plainly displayed on their forehead.

When he asked to someone if they saw others with his headband, the woman giggled and answered: "Yes, ninja-san! Some days ago a shinobi with that symbol arrived here and saved my sister's kid!"

"How was he like? And where is he?" Genma asked curiously.

"Well… it's difficult to forget his gravity-defying silver hair…" the woman answered.

Genma choked on his own drink_. Kakashi was there_?

"…but after we thanked him and paid him (not nearly enough for his help, in Suzumi's opinion) he left the village. I think his name was Kakashi something… Ninja-san? Are you OK?" the woman didn't know why the shinobi in front of her was gaping.

Really, did she say something shocking? Didn't the ninjas in the same village know where the others were?

* * *

><p>Kakashi decided to head east.<p>

He followed the coastline towards Mizu no Kuni: he wasn't going to enter inside Kirigakure (he wasn't _that_ crazy), but Kakashi was sure that Minato already sent at least half of the ANBU forces to track him. Every now and then, the silver-haired nukenin flared his chakra to sense stalkers and dangers.

Somewhere on his journey he bought a jacket with a hood (to hide his silver-hair) and a scarf, both as black as a starless night. He kept his normal clothes under them and he was tree-hopping at chuunin speed.

After helping that little town against the kidnappers, he started his information gathering about where he could accept 'missions'. Until his nukenin status was common knowledge, he should offer his help to the people who deserved it (and kill the bastards who didn't): they would know when he was in their villages (and ask for his services), but so would the Hounin.

Kakashi was sure all of the other Elemental Nations were just _itching_ to get their hands on him and the Sharingan. It wouldn't be too long before he had to avoid the Hunter-nins from everywhere.

Speaking of which…

Four chakra signatures started following him. They were pretty fast and definitely ANBU-level shinobis. Not a second later one of the chakras spiked and he heard a shouted "Suiton: Water Dragon no jutsu!"

Kakashi dashed to his right and deflected the barrage of kunai thrown towards him. Four masked nins appeared around him in a quadrangular formation.

'_Hounins from Kiri' _he thought, seeing the symbol on their masks. It was just _wonderful_.

Two of them charged with their weapons raised, but they underestimated him. Kakashi took his ANBU sword and immediately gained the upper hand with his speed and the Sharingan (that he exposed when the first ninja attacked).

The other Hounins kept throwing kunais and shurikens, ignoring the possibility of friendly fire.

Kakashi needed just that. He saw four ninja stars heading towards him and the Hatake hit one of the ANBU on the side, making him stumble right on the weapons' path. The Hounin died with the shurikens in his back.

The other found himself one-on-one against the Hatake and Kakashi sliced his throat, immediately jumping back when some earth spears started to appear at his feet.

He let one of them hit his Kage Bunshin and, when the Hounins looked around, he gripped their ankles and shouted "Doton: Head Hunter no jutsu!" They both fell and Kakashi killed them swiftly before they could use Kawarimi.

He searched for a Bingo Book inside their pockets and, when he finally did, he started reading it and analyzing who he could befriend and who he should avoid or kill.

* * *

><p>Kakashi kept tree-hopping until he arrived in another city on the coast; the town was on the border of Hi no Kuni with Mizu no Kuni and it was small. He summoned three of his ninken to keep guard of the room.<p>

Kiri's Bingo Book was pretty interesting: some shinobis were very clearly evil psychopaths with homicidal impulses, others were suspicious and shady and very few were worth meeting.

He skipped the ninjas he already knew from his own Bingo Book (that was sadly out-dated) and started looking for the ones he wanted to meet. The three shinobis he confronted some days ago didn't look friendly towards each other (not like they defected together), so Kakashi thought he had to meet some and propose deals.

He felt shock when he saw his own page – he was already marked as a nukenin. An A-ranked nukenin from Konoha with above average skills and the Sharingan (that wasn't even his own).

Shaking his head to calm down (_he didn't betray his village! It was the other way around!_), he decided to start searching some clients to help and, hopefully, some relatively trustworthy shinobis.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A Chapter! Yahoo! :D**

**Tell me want you think about it and keep reading!**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	3. Chapter 3

**Gomenasai! I… uh… ****I still wrote something! ;) **

**Thanks to Prescpripto13, Vienna09, Guest, Kakakure and The Shifting for the praises! :D**

**"****Blah" is black Zetsu's voice.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Research<strong>

"Repeat again?"

Zetsu frowned and the white half obeyed: "Hatake Kakashi abandoned Konoha a week ago". Why was the Uchiha so surprised? It was pretty common for ninjas to leave their village.

Tobi stared.

_Kakashi defected_? He had to see it with his own eye to believe that. Tobi could understand that people change constantly (hell, he was a perfect example!), but Kakashi's loyalty to Konoha… it was impossible to erase. Not without a _very good_ reason.

"Where is he and what's the situation in the Shinobi Nations?" Tobi asked flatly.

"Kakashi is in Mizu no Kuni" white Zetsu answered "Near the border with Nami no Kuni, avoiding Kirigakure no Sato".

**"****Hi no Kuni's borders are swarming with Konoha ANBU" **the black half supplied **"and all the other countries sent Hounins to search the Hatake".**

Well… that was expected.

Kakashi was skilled and had the Sharingan (_Tobi's Sharingan_… damn it! What if he discovered the Mangekyo's power?). For a Kage, it was enough to immediately send an army to find, capture or kill the Hatake.

And it was obvious that Minato would search his student, in person or not: if the blonde wasn't Hokage, Tobi was sure that he would be already turning the world upside down with his own hands.

Tobi needed to discover how to erase and gain loyalty as he pleased (it would save _so much_ _time_!); investigating the 'Kakashi case' was a good starting point.

The Uchiha decided to stalk his ex-teammate.

* * *

><p>"Team Falcon"<p>

"Negative. Hatake-san didn't go towards Sunagakure no Sato".

"Team Bird and Team Lynx"

"Negative. Iwa's border is clear".

Minato sighed warily. Where the hell was Kakashi? The Yondaime sent a lot of ANBU squads to track his student, but no one found anything. It was like he disappeared!

"Team Wolf" he called tiredly. It was obvious he involved Kakashi's old team: who was he to stop them? Plus, they were more familiar with him and his methods to cover his tracks.

"Negative" Raido and Yugao answered, defeated.

"Positive" Genma said at the same time.

Everyone stared at him. _Everyone._

Minato motioned him to continue, restraining his need to jump over his desk and shake Genma until he obtained his answer. Someone _finally_ found a lead!

"On Hi no Kuni's south coast" he reported "Yukuda's citizens confirmed that Kakashi was there" Genma tried to keep his voice blank "But they didn't know where he went after leaving the town".

The Yondaime frowned. He thought that the ANBU had more information, but at least they had a smaller area to recon.

Minato smiled a little and dared to hope.

'_Kakashi will return_' the Hokage thought '_There's so much I need to tell him…_'

* * *

><p>Kakashi wasn't a lucky shinobi.<p>

Currently, he was in a forest on an island. He quickly discovered that Mizu no Kuni's mist was thick even without adding chakra… and Kiri's Hounins were stubborn. A lot.

Kakashi ran into two ANBU teams two days after a pretty rough mission (thus chakra-depleted, a little injured and tired. Really, _really_ tired) that just wouldn't give up. He tried to cover his tracks, but some of them were sensors and it was useless.

The Hatake couldn't allow himself to exhaust his still recovering chakra: there weren't his friends fighting with him, there wasn't _anyone_ ready to help him or heal his injuries.

The nukenin was surrounded by chakra-infused mist, so thick that he couldn't see anything even with the Sharingan; it also messed with his ability to sense the enemies' chakra, but evidently the sensors didn't have nearly as much trouble.

Kakashi had to do something fast: he had to rely on his hearing and smell to dodge and attack, but he couldn't keep this up for long enough to take all the Hounins down.

Before the mist confused his senses, the Hatake managed to kill three Kiri ANBU, but their teammates were completely _unaffected _by their deaths.

They didn't get angry, didn't even _flinch_ when Kakashi stuck their chests with a Chidori. They utterly ignored the three corpses and created the mist, throwing jutsus and weapons at him from the shadows.

Kakashi couldn't allow himself to perform too taxing jutsus, he couldn't waste his weapons, he couldn't summon his ninken: they were too tired from the last mission (in which they had to retrieve an important scroll from a dangerous Kumo nukenin, but _apparently_ the client didn't warn them of his identity as an A-rank shinobi…) and the Hatake couldn't expect them to fight properly.

A water dragon rushed towards him, forcing him to quickly jump away and a barrage of kunai rained on the spot he landed on. The nukenin dodged with a Kawarimi, but his pursuers kept following him.

He inwardly sighed. He would summon his ninken later, when he finished this fight with the Chidori. Kakashi just _knew_ that his reserves would deplete after that, but he didn't have many choices.

* * *

><p>Yumi Kumiko didn't know why there were ANBUs <em>everywhere<em>.

She _did_ hear some strange rumors about a Konoha Shinobi gone rouge, but Mizu no Kuni was literally swarming with Hounins! Who was this ninja to have the _whole world_ looking for him?!

_BOOM!_

Kumiko halted and hid immediately. What was that explosion?

She flared a little of her chakra toward that sound and stiffened when she felt a lot of energy coming from that direction. Someone was fighting near her position (and attracting unwanted attention… _great_).

"Four, five… no, six" Kumiko mumbled "Six chakra signatures" she confirmed.

Well, the kunoichi _did_ need some moneys and supplies… who could blame her for looting some weapons? It wasn't like there was someone to nag at her about that. Kumiko wasn't a little chuunin anymore, she didn't need anyone to remind her of what was right and what wasn't and _most certainly_ no one had any right to order her around.

The Kumo nukenin was _sure_ she was going in deep trouble, but curiosity couldn't kill the cat every damn time, right?

She quietly made her way towards the battleground, moving like a shadow between the trees' branches.

The kunoichi suddenly saw a thick white mist in which the six signatures kept flaring and shrinking, like they were doing some weird game of hide-and-seek-and-kill.

However, she couldn't pinpoint anyone: the sheer amount of chakra in the air continued to mess up with her sensing ability.

Kumiko stilled when she heard a high-pitched screech, sounding like a thousands' birds chirping, coming from inside the mist.

"Suiton: Water Binding no jutsu!" someone yelled.

'_Water Binding_?' Kumiko thought with increasing dread 'It's a jutsu used only by Kiri's Hounins! There's a _nukenin_ trapped inside the mist!'

There was an unspoken rule between missing-nins to help each other against Hounin Teams; the kunoichi, who defected almost a year ago, knew this very well. In more than one occasion she was assisted and saved by wandering nukenins.

And it looked like whoever was inside the mist needed a little help.

So _of course_ Kumiko joined the fight.

* * *

><p>Now Kakashi was sure that his chakra was <em>completely<em> drained.

Only one of the Hounins was left. He was the ANBU who was keeping up the mist (if only Kakashi killed him before... it would have saved a lot of trouble), and it seemed that he was wind-natured as well.

Kakashi's luck had a strange sense of humor.

He cursed and fell on his knees. Some of his injuries reopened (great…) and the newly added wounds weren't helping in the slightest… all of that coupled with the dizziness of blood loss and chakra depletion. It wouldn't be too bad (he didn't even have broken bones!) if his enemy was dead and there was an ally with him.

The problem was there wasn't anyone of his comrades.

Just _peachy_.

The Hounin seemed to chuckle gleefully (as much as a Kiri ANBU could chuckle) and he raised his bloody sword to _slash_…

…when a brown blur punched the enemy straight on the cheek. Really hard, by the sounds of it. There was a suspicious _crack _when the Hounin crashed against an innocent-looking tree.

Thankfully, the mist lifted and Kakashi could see his savior.

The woman had long straight dark hair and a white headband. She wore a white shirt, two armguards and a pair of black gloves. She had a leather belt on her waist and three scrolls were placed on her right, while the weapon pouch was on her left thigh. She wore black shorts with yellow streaks on each side and a pair of black ninja boots. Kakashi couldn't see her face and her headband.

His sight became blurry and the blood loss hit him like a ton of bricks. He gave up trying to stay awake and fell unconscious.

* * *

><p>Kumiko, well… she didn't expect to see the one and only <em>Hatake Kakashi<em>.

He wore something similar to the Konoha ANBU gear under a scarf and a jacket, both black. His hitai-ate was still plainly displayed on his forehead and his hair was just as she remembered…

_Flashback no jutsu_

_Their target was a group of three nukenins who thought that robbing a town near a Hidden Village was a good idea. They clearly didn't expect to be followed after only a day, but they were very skilled at covering their tracks and running._

_Team Eagle of Kumo started hunting them four days ago and two of them still managed to run away, sacrificing the third man when he got a kunai in the knee. They reached the Land of Frost a week later, none of the groups giving up. _

_It was then that they crossed paths with another ANBU Team._

_The two nukenins were still trying to run away, probably seeking repair in Hi no Kuni's lands (what Hounin in their right mind would 'go hunting' in another Great Shinobi Nation without permission?), when four Konoha ANBUs appeared on some branches, effectively trapping the two criminals._

_Tiger, Viper, Parrot and Eagle immediately engaged their targets, deflecting their jutsus and swiftly killing the duo. The Konohan remained still on their branches until one of the Kumo shinobi spoke up._

_"__Who are you?" Eagle-taicho asked blankly. _

_The other squad's members seemed to be Rabbit, Bear, Wolf and Captain Lizard. The first was a female with straight long violet hair, the second had light-brown hair and the leader had short black hair. _

_What made Viper pause, however, was Wolf. He had gravity-defying spiky silver hair and was short. For all she knew, the Konohan could be fourteen or something: however, the way the stood and jumped from his branch… it suggested a level of skill that a kid shouldn't possess. _

_Viper was curious. Who was Wolf? She'll ask her taicho: this wasn't the time to go ahead and start a conversation with the Konoha team. And probably it would never be. _

_Lizard decided to part ways immediately (after confirming that they wouldn't interfere with their missions one way or another) and all his comrades nodded before vanishing. _

_At the end, Viper learned very little about Wolf: he was a boy who fought during the Third Shinobi War and lost all of his teammates. Right now, the fourteen-years-old wasn't too dangerous and no one had much information about him._

_Viper decided to keep an eye out for him while reading Kumo's Bingo Book. She had a feeling that Wolf would appear in her pages rather soon. _

_End Flashback no jutsu_

And she was _right_. However, now was _so_ not the time to visit Memory Lane.

Kumiko, fortunately, was a medic-nin as well and she healed most of Kakashi's injuries. The Kumo kunoichi firmly followed the rule about helping each other between nukenins, giving warnings, help and sometimes even assistance.

She cursed when she checked the Hatake's chakra and blood levels. Both were dangerously low and the skin was turning an alarming shade of white. The superficial injuries weren't too threatening (but that deep gash on the left shoulder wasn't very good-looking…) and most could be disinfected and bandaged immediately. Other wounds needed her healing chakra and some rest (or a lot. It depended).

After performing some first aid, the nukenin decided to carry the Hatake inside her nearest hiding spot. It was going to be a long week before Kakashi would wake up…

* * *

><p>Tobi didn't know what to do.<p>

After finally finding his ex-teammate, he didn't know if he should join the battle with the risk of being seen. Generally, stalking required sneakiness and invisibility. Being seen was something to avoid.

But who would see him in the mist? Should Tobi interfere?

…Nah. Kakashi could hold his ground. Maybe.

But, _hey_, when the mist cleared Tobi could help the nukenin with his injuries. The Uchiha wasn't too sure if the scent he smelt was Kakashi's blood or something, but he was willing to heal him without being spotted. If the Hatake wasn't alive, how could Tobi discover the secret to manipulate loyalities?

He almost giggled when he thought about his ex-teammate's face if the latter suddenly found himself mysteriously healed. It would be _hilarious_!

…It looked like Tobi didn't need to interfere. A brown-haired kunoichi knocked out the last Hounin and started healing Kakashi.

The Uchiha tilted his head and frowned (not that anyone could see it). Why was a Kumo nukenin helping him? Well, whatever: Tobi needed to return to Ame and tell Nagato to recruit someone for the Akatsuki. He would assign a Zetsu clone to stalk Kakashi and redirect some Hounins away from him.

Tobi morphed somewhere else without alerting anyone.

* * *

><p>Kumiko didn't know what to do until Kakashi woke.<p>

Her supplies wouldn't last for long and the Konohan's were sealed in some scrolls (coded to Kakashi's chakra, obviously): the kunoichi could take only a few chakra and blood pills, a roll of bandages and even fewer ration bars.

But Kumiko couldn't very well leave Kakashi alone: who knew if his condition got worse during her absence and he died?

The Kumo nukenin sighed. She really hoped that her kindness wasn't getting her backstabbed.

* * *

><p>Jiraya left Konoha to search Kakashi two days after he fled.<p>

Obviously, after a while, rumors of his defection already spread in a lot of villages: both shinobi and civilians knew something about the Hatake.

The citizens said he helped them, protected their houses, tracked and killed threats and sometimes brought messages back and forth, all the while accepting what the 'clients' could give him and disappearing a moment later.

The Toad Sage didn't get much information from other nukenins (not always willingly, but oh well) or Konoha teams: Kakashi covered his tracks well and no one knew when or where he would appear again. Everyone had to rely on their luck and hope the town they were in was where the Hatake would show up.

After receiving Genma's lead, Jiraya immediately travelled to Nami no Kuni: Kakashi couldn't be so stupid to go inside Mizu, right?

* * *

><p><em>A week later<em>

Kakashi woke up tired. Very tired.

His limbs weighted tons more and he couldn't move: every time he tried to lift his body, his muscles begged him to stop and pain wreaked havoc on his nerves. All in all, he felt like an Akimichi rolled over him. If he didn't remember his fight against the Kiri Hounins, Kakashi would have gladly kept his eyes closed. After all, if someone bothered to heal him, he was with his friends.

But he was a _nukenin_, and as a nukenin he didn't have friends. He forced his right eye open.

He discovered he was inside a cave, a _freaking cave_. There was a little fire on his left, but he couldn't see anything else. Kakashi wasn't bound or restrained in any way, but whoever caught him must have seen that he couldn't flee from there: hell, he couldn't even turn his head!

Kakashi was completely at everyone's mercy right now.

When he was Captain Wolf and exhausted completely his chakra, there were always his teammates. There was always Genma, ready to scold him for his recklessness and bring him back to Konoha.

There was always Raido, hidden somewhere in the shadows to rig traps and mutter something about an idiot captain, too much medic supplies wasted and how Kakashi should stop taking head-on twenty something shinobi alone.

There was always Yugao, crouched beside him to heal him with her chakra and ordering him to stay alive and don't scare them to death while returning covered in blood and injuries (even if Kakashi was the captain).

What could he do, now that his teammates weren't there?

* * *

><p>Kumiko looked at her… patient.<p>

He woke up some minutes ago, but he couldn't sense her. Maybe it was because Kakashi was still recovering from chakra exhaustion, blood loss and nasty injuries.

The Hatake was clearly alarmed, but after a while he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. If Kumiko didn't find him, he would be dead meat by now. Really, the Copy Ninja should be more alert.

She completed a pretty simple mission in the nearest town, but otherwise the kunoichi waited and secured the area with some traps. It was strange that no Hounins wandered near the cave.

'_I mean, seriously? Shouldn't they search Kakashi?_' Kumiko mockingly thought '_Whoever was sent to hunt in this sector is clearly an idiot for not checking here'. _She wasn't exactly complaining, but the lack of action was making her restless. What if they were waiting to strike?

She used a stick to poke the burning wood and the fire kept flickering.

Kumiko stilled when she saw Kakashi's eye on her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Third Chapter, YAY! :D**

**Kumiko is an OC. **

**But hey, you can suggest me whatever you want! Don't forget that in the review! ;)**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to The Shifting, Yungsun, Prescripto13, stroopery and Guest for reviews! Feed me with sweet nectar! :D**

**Answering The Shifting: I did the OC no Jutsu because it seemed too early to place Zabusa, Haku and other known nukenins, so I made someone else join Kakashi and pull him out of trouble! I'll keep this up! :3**

**Answering Prescripto13: Who knows? Ehehehe, he'll stalk Kakashi and decide something… ;)**

**Answering Guest: I could try. But hey, Yugao is still an ANBU. Can't have all ANBUs go rouge, ne?**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Ally?<strong>

Kumiko and Kakashi had an impromptu staring contest.

Both were wary of the other in some twisted way, trying to come up with something to say. The kunoichi was sure that, somehow, her patient would stand up and tackle her (she was B-rank, he was A-rank – and the Konohan was a genius, wasn't he?). Really, why did she save him… ah. Yeah, that unspoken life saver rule. Right.

Kakashi, instead, was trying to come up with a plan to leave the cave without pointing a metaphorical 'I'm weak now, kill me!' neon sign to himself. He didn't recognize the woman in his Bingo Book (meaning she was, in normal circumstances, weaker than him), but with chakra exhaustion, injuries and soreness – no, that wouldn't be a fair fight. The kunoichi would just kill him if he tried to escape.

This left only a way – talk his way out of this trouble.

"May I know who you are?" Kakashi asked, trying to push away the awful feeling in his throat (when was the last time he drank?). He wasn't exactly in the position of threaten her, so he added a polite tone to his question.

The woman snapped out of her thoughts abruptly.

"I'm Yumi Kumiko" she answered "and, well…" she scratched the back of her neck, and Kakashi noticed on two deep scars her upper left arm, like some beast tried to rip her with its claws. "…I already know who you are, Hatake Kakashi".

He wasn't so surprised she recognized him – he _was_ a famous (or infamous, depending on which side of the border you were) shinobi with silver hair, a mask and a scar over his left eye. He wasn't exactly one who could easily blend in the crowds without a proper Henge or disguise.

Now that he could see Kumiko's face, he noticed she was a Kumo kunoichi (unless she stole the hitai-ate from some corpse) with chocolate brown hair and green eyes – which weren't seen often in Lightning territory. But her name sounded like… it was inspired from Kumo.

"What happened?" Kakashi couldn't help but ask. After all, if the silence stretched for too long, who knows where 'Kumiko' would take the conversation? Maybe she could forget her kindness all together and just torture him, who knew? Certainly not Kakashi.

The woman looked somewhere between annoyed and pround "A week ago, I saw you were fighting two Hounin Teams" she said, and Kakashi remained silent "You weren't in top condition, so I decided to save you".

The kunoichi stared silently at the shinobi in front of her. He would have fidgeted if he could move easily.

"…How much time will it take until you can run?" she asked, her look daring him to lie.

Kakashi tried to move his hand, but he could only twitch his fingers (with more effort than he liked). His feet refused to move and he didn't feel anywhere _near_ ready to _walk_, let alone run.

"Another three days minimum to stand" he answered. He purposefully didn't say he sometimes needed more than a week to run and mold chakra without problems. The most he took to walk again was almost a month – a broken leg, he discovered, didn't heal well with chakra exhaustion and poison. But that was another story.

Kumiko frowned and, after shuffling through some bags, she took out four scrolls – _his scrolls_, he realized – which he recognized as the 'containing whatever you need but not weapons' kind. How did she know it? _Did_ she know it?

"My supplies aren't enough for two" she deadpanned "Unseal yourself a snack (or whatever Konohans eat). If you don't, I'll just ditch you and invite the Hounins to have a party".

The kunoichi turned around and, after placing the scrolls in Kakashi's reach, she left (most probably) to do a perimeter sweep.

'_Well, I'm alive'_ he thought _'…I guess'_.

* * *

><p>Minato was scared. Inwardly, of course. Hokages <em>do not <em>show fear.

Kakashi was somewhere south-east, either in Mizu or Nami no Kuni. Jiraya and two ANBU Teams were searching him there, and the blonde couldn't help but worry and fear for the worst, all the while trapped in his office.

Worried that someone already found him: be it a random enemy, another nukenin, _Orochimaru_ (terrified shudder), _anyone_ who could meet Kakashi, anyone who would fight tooth and nail to stop Minato from bringing his student back.

Worried that, somehow, other Nations found him first – _killed, captured, out of Minato's reach_ _forever_: maybe he ended up on a metal table to be examined (Kami knew there were rumors of the merciless, ruthless '_Bloody Mist'_…), maybe Kiri left his corpse to be completely destroyed…

Scared, _terrified_, that Kakashi _didn't want_ to return, that Minato and Jiraya's betrayal hit him deep, so deep he didn't want to set foot in Konoha ever again, fearing everyone else would betray him and leave.

_Frightened_, _horrified_, that he would have to fight against _his student_ until his last breath. That he would have to see Kakashi _– his Kakashi_, his student since the boy was _five_ – try to destroy Konoha with his hands for revenge. Revenge for something Minato couldn't explain.

How could he stop his last living (as far as he knew, which wasn't very comforting) student, if _that_ happened?

Whatever possessed him to almost kill him (he still had nightmares about it) wasn't going to give him the will to do the same, if push came to shove. Minato didn't have the heart to kill his not-quite-adopted son/student.

He always missed Kushina's love, and now he did more than ever: he didn't have her comforting presence, her fierce temper and her tidal waves of emotions, not anymore since _that day_.

If she survived, he was sure she would whack his head. "_What are you doing still in your office?!"_ she would screech, her long red hair moving on their own "_You're the Hokage – give yourself the permission to leave the village and find that brat – DATTEBANE!" _

As if sensing Minato's distress, little almost-seven-months old Naruto curled closer to the Yondaime's chest, reaching for his warmth.

The blonde smiled at his son (_his and Kushina's son_), tiny Namikaze Naruto, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Jailor of the monster that killed his mother and dozens of other Konoha shinobi.

If it wasn't for _that man_…

That masked, cloaked and hooded man, that asshole with a Sharingan (Minato hoped it didn't mean the Uchiha were traitors) who unleashed the Kyuubi on Konoha, right when Naruto was born.

Minato closed his eyes. He couldn't lose himself in Memory Lane every time.

There was still a lot of work to do, and he couldn't let Konoha's citizens down.

* * *

><p>No traps have been triggered and Kumiko wasn't very comfortable.<p>

Kakashi woke – nothing to worry about. Actually, it was good news (if she convinced him to not back-stab her, that is), confirming he wasn't in coma or close to dying. The kunoichi could introduce him to the true nukenin's life, giving him some advices and whatnot: it wasn't often an A-ranked shinobi needed help but when he did, he sure remembered who helped. Who knew, maybe her favor would be returned.

No one approached them – suspicious, too strange and not good in the long run. There could be who-knows-how-many Hounins and other enemies already waiting there to ambush them. With more people together, the stillness was dangerous: Kumiko knew (from her own experience as a Kumo special agent) Hounins occasionally supported each other if their objectives were more easily accomplished.

She and Kakashi were in that cave for a week already. More time than that in the same place was like digging their own grave, leaving really, really strong chakra and smell trails. The kind that created huge, fluorescent and bright '_hunt us down!' _signs all over the place.

Problem was, Kakashi couldn't move and she didn't feel like travelling with deadweight on her shoulder. She could do a Bunshin, maybe. It would take little chakra to do a Mizu Bunshin near a lake (even a puddle was enough), and Water Country was (you don't say?) full of random lakes, rivers and water sources.

It still would leave a more evident trail to the next city and carrying a shinobi on the shoulder was pretty suspicious, even among Shinobi Nations. Plus, if some Hounins reached them, Kumiko didn't know how to protect someone unable to fight (for the time being) and fight herself multiple opponents.

She occasionally worked with some nukenins and saved others, but no one needed her care this much. The worst case she faced as a missing-nin was five senbon through someone's ankle: fortunately, they were both near a city and, after dumping him in the local Hospital, she left.

What to do now, when the nearest town was five or so miles away, without backup or someone else?

* * *

><p>"We're moving".<p>

Kakashi shot her a startled look that screamed '_are you crazy?!_'

Kumiko merrily ate something, changed Kakashi's bandages, applied some more chakra on his left shoulder, sealed her things in her scrolls and ordered Kakashi to pack whatever stuff he brought out (disregarding all together the fact he could hardly move).

It was sunset – the perfect time for every ninja to move unseen and unheard. Whether said ninjas crossed paths, that was impossible to predict.

Kakashi didn't look too eager to get a piggy-back five miles-long ride from an unknown Kumo kunoichi, but he didn't have much say in it and Kumiko's Water Clone happily picked him up.

'Move or be killed' was a good advice, and the kunoichi didn't want to spend more time than necessary in a single place with someone who, for now, was deadweight. Coupled with the fact he had the whole world looking for him, it was better moving out.

* * *

><p>Jiraya still didn't find Kakashi in Nami no Kuni.<p>

Was that brat really _so _stupid? He should know Kiri's Hounins had the nasty habit to never give up a chase. And, even worse, they were familiar within their islands: they knew the most hidden and dangerous places, they had spies everywhere…

There were rumors of a coup d'état, too, brewing in the higher shinobi ranks against the Mizukage. Jiraya wasn't sure he could retrieve Kakashi if a civil war broke out.

He was one of the Sannin, but everyone had his limits: he didn't know if the Hatake was willing or not to come back, he didn't know if there was Kiri or someone else who already got his hands on him… there were too many unknown factors that could spin out of control.

Jiraya couldn't risk starting another war to bring back Kakashi; he could only do his hardest to complete his mission and hope this went well.

He left the ANBU teams to continue the research in Nami and headed to Mizu no Kuni.

* * *

><p><em>Six days later <em>

Kakashi was up and normally running – even if he wasn't at his full strength, he could travel at chuunin or low-jonin speed.

He and Kumiko didn't engage any Hounin (thank Kami for that – otherwise the kunoichi would have just ditched him), but both were jittery: just _what was happening_? It didn't make any sense, unless the hunter-nins were preparing the perfect ambush; every Nation wanted to get their hands on Kakashi and his (not really his) Sharingan.

His left shoulder was still a little painful to move, but the gash was almost fully closed. The other injuries were healed completely and he only had to wait for his chakra reserves to refill.

During that time, both nukenin got to know each other. As much as they were willing to reveal (and what they could guess by the other's behavior), which wasn't too much.

Kakashi discovered Kumiko disliked most of all getting ordered around, she was left-handed (her pouch was on her left thigh) and not only she knew iryo-jutsu, but the kunoichi was pretty skilled with poison-coated senbon, too. He still didn't know when she got the deep scars on her upper arm.

Kumiko discovered Kakashi had a silver tongue and could make a weapon out of everything (one day, with too much time on their hands, they played 'death by teacup' – a popular game among ANBU, both of Konoha and Kumo. Inventing creative ways to kill was, in a worrisome way, rather funny and entertaining); the Hatake, rather unexpected (and contradictory) from a nukenin, valued loyalty as the most important virtue.

"If loyalty is so important" Kumiko asked once "Why did you leave your village?"

Kakashi narrowed his eye defensively and almost growled her not to pry in his past. There were the undertones of 'it's worse than you could ever imagine' and 'if I say anything I'll have to kill you somehow', so Kumiko refrained from scoffing and digging for answers. She was still curious, though.

The two nukenins, now that Kakashi could travel easily, were on an island near Uzushiogakure.

"Where should we go?" the silver-haired shinobi asked, looking around. The town was rather… normal, per se, but Kumiko said there was an important place somewhere here.

The kunoichi smiled a little and answered "You normally offered your help to normal citizens, right?"

Kakashi nodded.

"While that's good to build a reputation among clients" Kumiko continued "It attracts a lot of hunters, as well; to avoid that, there are… special places to accept missions, like the one we're going to visit".

She seemed a little too eager to show him, but Kakashi didn't have much choice: he _did_ need to get used to the nukenin lifestyle. Parading around cities to help others, like Kumiko said and he knew, attracted too much attention – both good and bad.

After all, only if Kakashi adapted to his new status he could find whoever dropped fake evidences on those five corpses. And when he did, he would torture and kill him/her… and then? Best case scenario, he could get reinstated in Konoha's ranks. Worst case scenario, he would get executed.

"We're here".

Kakashi raised his head and looked at the plain building in front of him. It was purposefully created to inspire boredom and the 'that's not important' feeling every hidden facility must exude. The house screamed 'I'm not suspicious' with its wooden door, normal windows (which didn't lead to anything relevant) and white colour.

The Hatake followed the other nukenin inside the building. Even the inside was normal – if it wasn't for the concealed door near the bathroom, which led somewhere downstairs.

"Are you scared?" Kumiko asked "Come on, we're there!" She looked like she was pouting, but the stairs weren't lit enough to tell.

Kakashi followed her and he couldn't help but ask himself what other surprises awaited him, down in the dark.

* * *

><p><strong>Another Chapter! OMG! :D <strong>

**I don't know when the 'Bloodline purge' and the coup d'état started, so I made it start later. If I'm wrong well… let's say I wanted it so and this is an AU in more ways than Alive!Minato ;) **

**'****Death by teacup' is a game I picked out of 'Yet, mad I'm not' (if I'm not wrong), but I don't remember the author… whoever he/she is, the game idea is his/hers! Gomen for my non-existing memory! **

**Kumiko wants to help Kakashi because she sees him as a valuable ally and a dangerous enemy: she prefers the 'easier' way and befriended him early, when he was in need of a 'guide'. So much love, eh? But no, I don't think I'll do KakashixOC. **

**If you want to suggest other nukenins to meet Kakashi, I'm all ears! If there aren't suitable suggestions I'll insert other OCs, beware! :D**

**And, if you're wondering, a lot of the nukenins' lifestyle I'm writing is picked from 'Snapshots of The life and times of Hatake Kakashi' of Hermionechan90! **

**I forgot the Dictionary! :O **

**Mizu no Kuni: Water Country**

**Nami no Kuni: Waves Country **

**Hi no Kuni: Fire Country**

**Mizu Bunshin: Water Clone**

**Iryo-jutsu: medic techniques **


End file.
